Hafta letters: Questions for PM, 2029 elections, digital media’s reach

Vijay  

Hello folks,

Hafta continues to be a delight every week. I was disappointed to hear that Jayashree has left, as I often found myself understanding and agreeing with her perspective.

On PM Modi avoiding unscripted interviews, I don’t think conventions matter much anymore because I personally don’t see him functioning as a statesman in the traditional sense. In a compromised democracy, perhaps we are expected to give him the freedom to conduct himself however he chooses.

What disappointed me even more was the recent MEA press conference. It felt obvious that the spokesperson was following the party line rather than representing the country’s broader interests. The lack of preparation for such a basic question and the inability to exit gracefully was striking. I often wonder whether global investors also form impressions about India from such moments.

I also enjoyed Manisha’s interview with the founder of CJP. I’d love to know when political consciousness and ideological leanings truly begin forming, especially among Gen Z voters, who often seem easily swayed despite being our biggest democratic hope.

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Cyril  

Regarding the MEA faux pas in Norway, trust Anand to jump to the defense of the bureaucracy. I guess he, unlike me, may have some affinity for them since I’ve heard on this podcast that he trains UPSC aspirants. In my opinion, the conduct of our diplomats over the years has been a mixed bag. For every competent diplomat, some of whom Anand mentioned, there are incompetent ones like Devyani Khobragade and Madhuri Gupta. Sibi George seems to fall into this category. I also find some of the utterances of our foreign minister, supposedly an accomplished diplomat, cringe-worthy. And these are some of the cases which are out publicly. Who knows how many such entitled, incompetent people are there in the IFS, since the IFS like all other services protects its own.

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Ankit

Hi guys, 

Since Abhinandan did not respond to my comment on the app last week, here’s a joke for him instead:

The only thing we want to hear from Abhinandan about cricket is crickets.

Enjoy!

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Anish

Dear Newslaundry Team,

I have one observation and one question for Abhinandan.

Recently, Abhinandan casually remarked that cricket isn’t really a sport, without much technical explanation. Predictably, it triggered a flood of defensive reactions online. It felt less like genuine debate and more like engagement bait – people instinctively rushing to defend something that perhaps never needed defending. In many ways, it mirrors politics, where emotionally charged narratives like “Hindu khatre mein hai” are amplified because outrage is easy to manufacture and people are highly reactive. Why are we so easily drawn into these outrage cycles?

My second question is about Arvind Kejriwal. Given Abhinandan’s long association with him, does the intense political and legal pressure affect him personally? Between internal party betrayals and prolonged legal battles, the toll must be immense. While he may have struggled as an organisational leader, many still see him as an effective administrator. Could he eventually move beyond the Modi-centric political battle and refocus primarily on governance?

Wishing NL reaches 100k paid subscribers soon. You’ll always have my support.

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Anjali

Dear Abhinandan and the NL Hafta team,

My question is for Manisha regarding her apparent dislike of America. I understand that the US has played a major role in destabilising parts of the global order, but governments and leaders change. Trump will not remain in power forever. Despite its flaws, America still seems to allow a level of public criticism and institutional accountability that feels unimaginable here. Comedians like Jimmy Kimmel openly mock the president, and even powerful figures like Bezos face massive public backlash.

Meanwhile, in India, we continue to struggle with corruption, administrative apathy, pollution, adulteration, and a severe lack of justice and accountability. From collapsing infrastructure to counterfeit medicines, the problems feel endless. As someone who deeply loves this country, it genuinely hurts to see destruction carried out in the name of development without consequences.

I admire your work greatly and would genuinely like to hear yours and the panel’s thoughts on this contrast.

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Chai 

Dude at this point just start a NL Sena whose reward would be a livestream of you watching a test match end to end and watch it become the fastest and largest crowdfunding campaign newslaundry has ever seen.

You can let the people choose which match, and then use that money on some actual news coverage. People are still obsessed with your ragebait cricket comment. Iska thoda istemal toh karo.

Love y’all.

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Prakash

Request Abhinandan/Manisha to elaborate on why digital media “reach” is not as strong as mainstream media. Internet users in India are  ~1 billion; across economic strata everyone is glued to phones watching videos. Anecdotally and overall data suggest it should be strong.

What was the power or financial differential between Congress and BJP when the latter was a single digit MPs party in the 80s? Or when article 356 was repeatedly used for political reasons to dismiss state governments? If that is ancient history, why was CPM/TMC murdering opposition workers not bemoaned and covered by news professionals the same way they talk now about BJP's excesses? Could it be just a case of the more things change the more they remain the same?

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Madan

Listening to episode 588 regarding the communal divide in Bengal in particular and India in general, I was reminded of the lecherous behaviour of the “sanskari” males of our society whenever they get the opportunity.

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Anonymous

Sharing this recommendation where an NYT article talks about the systematic sexual abuse of Palestinians by Israelis, sometimes by even using dogs to rape the prisoners.

Just want to point out that Our Great Leader continues to cuddle a genocidal maniac in Netanyahu and India continues to be an ally of Israel. We know that as a nation we are as close as it gets to being morally dead, but...nothing? No outrage? No calls for an end to any relationship with that country? Not to forget that days prior to the Israel-Iran war, Modi was in the country. It does make you wonder how much lower we’re going to fall as a nation not only internally but externally as well as the anti-Indian sentiment is at its highest.

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Neil

Watched the Samosa Caucus on ANI and found several comments about NL deeply disturbing, including those made by Anand R. This doesn’t feel like an isolated incident anymore. It’s starting to look like a pattern. As a long-time subscriber, I’m genuinely disappointed and feel compelled to respond constructively.

I believe NL should hold its own reporting and editorial positions to the same level of scrutiny that it has long advocated for others. One way forward could be to put out an open letter or social post inviting critics to present their case. All of them. If there’s merit in their criticism, we should acknowledge it, introspect, and use it as an opportunity to strengthen NL. if there isn’t, we should publicly dismantle the argument. 

Don’t ignore it. Your subscribers stand with you and for you. But not when you don’t stand up to defend your work and ethics.

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Sajay 

Hi Newslaundry,  

The only two people who got the TN election right were Pradeep Gupta and Shabbir of the newsminute. Shabbir is in great demand on every Tamil youtube channel on getting the prediction right and his interviews are going viral. I think it would be a good idea for him to plug the joint subscription when he appears on these interviews so that it could reach more people.

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Dev

Regarding election results, everything comes down to how the chief of ECI is appointed. I don’t know if this new law was applied before or after 2024. Can this not be reversed by the Supreme Court?

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Anonymous 

After 2024, there was this perception that we could be looking at the end of BJP by 2029. The way the election results have come, I don’t think there’s much hope for any party until they adopt a more radical approach and have at least some ideology. 

AAP is BJP-lite. Does anyone know what the Congress stands for? The same goes for others. The country’s hurting right now. Infrastructure is poor, there are no jobs, at best you want to leave India. 

I know far too many people who are tired of Modi and his nonsense, but what does voting for Congress entail? Does even RG know?

Go to podcasts, talk to the media like you guys, offer radical solutions, build a mass movement. 

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Benny

Since the union government has been consolidating power, will delimitation not reduce the democratic power of people in states with lesser union representation? I get that equal voting right is a democratic principle, but isn’t it also an important democratic principle that people should have more say in what impacts them and not what impacts others? Every state in India has different priorities, ambitions and culture and it is wrong that a few states have more say.

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Renu

Dear Manisha and Abhinandan,

We keep hearing about India’s glorious ancient history. Even foreigners acknowledge it. But what have we truly learnt from it? Why haven’t we carried those lessons forward into present-day governance, civic life, and public behaviour? We struggle with basic civic issues – garbage collection, broken roads, corruption in schemes, endless project delays, and poor public accountability.

What disappoints me most is the everyday behaviour of authority figures toward ordinary citizens. A policeman may intimidate a poor or illiterate person, but would never dare behave similarly with a celebrity or wealthy businessman. Power still flows downward.

All I can do is to do my work honestly, support independent journalism, and speak up when needed. Bas meri aukat itni hi hai.

Love NL and TNM.

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Manan

Hi team, 

Abhinandan said something about the “beauty of India in times of kings”. But that beauty is a myth. Historically, all the riches, culture, sophistication were limited to upper castes, just like today. Kings had lavish weddings like Ambanis, parties like Mallya. How many did Nalanda really educate? Today we have IITs, ISB – still a tiny fraction. We trade globally now too, but that doesn’t translate into decent living standards for the average person, and it didn’t back then either. This has always been a deeply casteist society. Even Ramayana and Mahabharata show how unequal things were. Nothing fundamentally changes. There was no glorious past for most Indians. 

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Prosun

Dear Newslaundry Team, 

I wanted to share a ground-level perspective on the demographic and political realities of the India–Bangladesh border districts, especially Nadia and North 24 Parganas. The dominant narrative often suggests that Bangladeshi migrants form a reliable vote bank for the TMC, but local realities appear far more nuanced.

A large section of migrants in these regions are Bangladeshi Hindus who arrived in different phases, from pre-1971 migration to later waves between 1995 and 2015. Having faced discrimination as minorities in Bangladesh, many carry strong historical grievances. After settling in India, this experience, combined with present political messaging, has pushed a significant section toward the BJP rather than the TMC.

At the same time, the perception of a massive Muslim migrant presence does not match what is visible on the ground, where such numbers seem limited.

It is precisely to challenge oversimplified narratives that I support independent journalism. I hope this perspective contributes meaningfully to your reporting.

I pay to keep news free. Keep up the good work.

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Soumya 

Hi NL and TNM team! Great election coverage.

In Hafta 586, Manisha wonders about a solution to delimitation. The answer, in my opinion, would be inculcating the idea of fraternity again, as envisaged by our constitution framers. This idea has been lost in today’s divisive politics. There must be a freeze in delimitation for some more years which helps southern states not lose their proportionate representation. During that time, they help the northern states, economically and education wise, so that the population stabilises. Then go for delimitation maintaining mutually agreeable proportions. But for all this, the idea of 'fraternity' must prevail.

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Vijay

Hello NL Hafta Team,

I may be late to the discussion, but I wanted to say that keeping the Subramanian Swamy interview censored – at least initially – was probably the wiser decision. As a relatively small newsroom, your biggest priority should remain journalism and ground reporting rather than getting entangled in unnecessary legal battles. Not out of fear, but because such distractions consume time and energy that could otherwise go into the democratic work you consistently do.

I genuinely enjoy listening to everyone on Hafta, especially Jayashree. Since you may discuss the upcoming special Parliament session and its implications, I had a question: when such decisions are made, are there internal memos or official communications that later become publicly accessible? It would be fascinating to study those documents, especially regarding the special session or Bengal SIR discussions. I remember the CEA once suggesting such transparency could make officials “too fearless”. What do you make of that?

Keep up the fearless reporting – that’s what I value most. Also, it would be wonderful to occasionally have former reporters back on the show.

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Erbil 

Hello NL Team, 

I really like the topics you explore and the articles you publish. I was excited to read the pieces on AI, but I could barely get through a paragraph. Not because of the content, but because I don’t really enjoy reading articles. I’m more of an audio person. I love the stories you do, but I find it hard to sit and read them.

Would you consider doing an audiobook/podcast-style version of the articles? Even something simple – like an audio clip at the end of each article with the author reading it – would be great.

I don’t think I’m the only one who feels this way, and I genuinely think it could help you reach a wider audience.

Also, I’m waiting for you guys to start the book club project soon! I live in Mumbai and hope you guys have a Mumbai chapter too. 

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Shantanu

Contrary to the athletic demands often associated with sports, I struggle to consider cricket a true sport because of how little active participation it requires from most players on the field. Out of 22 players, only five or six are usually engaged at any given moment — the batter, bowler, wicketkeeper, non-striker, and perhaps one or two fielders. The remaining players are largely standing around waiting, resulting in extremely low “capacity utilisation” compared to sports like football, basketball, or hockey, where nearly every player is constantly involved. American football comes close in this regard, though I see it more as a television spectacle than a continuous sport. Cricket, especially formats like the IPL, increasingly feels similar – designed more for entertainment than athletic engagement. Ironically, this mirrors a broader inefficiency often observed in India itself, where large numbers of people appear employed yet underutilised. In that sense, cricket and India seem oddly well matched.

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Abhijeet

If cricket wasn’t a sport, then men and women would be able to play it identically. Physicality is core to cricket. Batting requires a huge amount of stamina.

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